Stöd till sociala normer

The Embassy has partnered with Population Media Center (PMC), based in the US, who has overall responsibility for the project, including technical and operational oversight. PMC's implementing partner is the Talking Drums Studio (TDS), based in Liberia, who is responsible for on the ground implementation, including scripting, producing and airing the dramas, sripting and performing the particpatory dramas, and daytoday monitoring and learning. Results achieved include the following: 1.Barnusietehdeh! "Let's Do the Right Thing!" As of this CoP, the project has scripted and produced 90 episodes of the flagship activity, the radio drama Barnusietehdeh!, across the 15 counties. The drama follows four story lines, each featuring at least one of the thematic priorities of the project: Sexual & Reproductive Health & Right (SRHR), Sexual & Gender Based Violence (SGBV) with a focus on FGM, Social Cohesion & Conflict Resolution (SCCR) and Gender Equity., with a cross theme of sustainable management of natural resources. The episodes are aired on 35 radio and community radio stations across the country, with three in Montserrado. Radio remains the primary vehicle for both entertainment and news in most of the rural parts of the country. To boost urban and youth awareness, the show has a dedicated Facebook show where the episodes are also available. The page also includes a discussion forum where the themes are further unpacked. Facebook is Liberia's most used social media platform. 2.Radio Talk Show: To accompany the episodes a radio talk show is aired in 13 counties, excluding Rivercess and Sinoe. The talk show takes place directly after the episode airs and provides a platform for furthering the themes of the talk show, with interactive discussions and dialogue. Participatory Theater Tour: To complement the radio dramas and further deepen community engagement, the project conducts Participatory Theater Tours (PTTs). The PTT uses Paolo Friere's Pedagogy of the Oppressed approach, a communication tool that enables community dwellers to join in the theatre as "specactors" (spectators and actors) to become part of the solution to the problems they face within their community. As the drama is performed the audience interacts continuously with the performers and presenters. It is designed to disseminate critical information to communities while having community members actively participate in the play as solution providers. 9 tours have been conducted since project launch, in Montserrado, Margibi, Rivercess, River Gee, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, and Grand Kru. 3.A Project Advisory Committee, consisting of Embassy of Sweden partners who are active within the thematic areas of the project was established. Its function is to provide technical guidance to thematic areas, reviewing story arcs and storylines, identifying technical experts, and exploring collaboration opportunities. 4.In the realm of collaboration, two important highlights are, in October 2023, TDS and Actionaid collaborated on a very successful cultural exhibit and dance competition that involved traditional leaders and practitioners of FGM. The purpose of the exhibit was to highlight the positive aspects of traditional Liberian culture and demonstrate to communities that discontinuing the practice of FGM should not have a negative impact on the overall culture. 5.Also, during the PTT stop in Grand Kru, TDS collaborated with another Swedish partner, Swedish Red Cross/Liberia Red Cross in a collaborative community dialogue that then led to a drama in which social cohesion was combined with SRHR to become a meditation on how mothers and fathers can actively and positively parent their children. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning constitute integral components of the project and the project has conducted extensive ongoing analysis. The project partnered with two local research firms, the Center for Strategic Policy & Research (CSPR) and Impact Evaluation. CSPR conducted a comprehensive Situation Analysis (SA), an examination of the prevailing circumstances and contextual factors, providing a foundation for subsequent project actions and Formative Audience Research (FAR), Indepth research conducted to understand the characteristics, preferences, and needs of the project's target audience, informing content development. Impact Evaluation conducted the baseline survey to collect accurate and reliable data on the audience's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to serve as a benchmark for gauging progress and outcomes over time. 6.The project also conducted a Radio Station Validation and GIS Mapping which included a rigorous validation process for radio stations, bolstered by Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, to optimize the dissemination of project content. Baseline Evaluation: Each PTT followed by a general evaluation of the audience's response and engagement with participatory theater components, providing invaluable insights into the effectiveness of this approach.

The project has two high-level goals: 1. Contribute to a long-term sustainability of effective pro-social programming in Liberia 2. Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies in Liberia which uphold human rights, democracy, the rule of law and gender equality. The program aims to achieve these goals by achieving a number of programmatic and learning-based outcomes: 1. Listeners react to SBC (social behavioral change) content on major issues 2. Listener feedback and engagement via talk shows 3. Deeper community level engagement 4. Improved TDS capacity in MEL 5. Rapid assessment of audience engagement and service access 6. Rigorus mixed-methods research